Chapter 20: "The Mirror in the Flame"
Selene's POV
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The first light of dawn filtered through the treetops, but Selene woke before it.
Gasping.
Heart pounding.
Eyes wide from a dream that felt more like a memory.
Lilith's eyes were glowing in the darkness,
and the world burned between two moons—
one full of light, and one dripping with shadow.
And in between them... Selene. Pulled in both directions.
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She sat up, her skin damp with sweat. The silver locket against her chest throbbed with heat—unlike its usual cold, lifeless feel.
It was pulsing.
Like it had a heartbeat.
"What are you trying to tell me?" she whispered, fingers trembling around the pendant.
Still in her nightclothes, she left her quarters and descended into the old Moonborn library. Everyone else was asleep—guards, Elders, even Kael.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
She found herself digging through the restricted scrolls again—ancient texts sealed by time and fear. That's when she found it: a page describing her exact locket, drawn in aged ink.
"The key to unity… or destruction. When the blood of twins reunites, the Heavens shall tremble."
Her breath caught.
"Twins…" she muttered. "Lilith and I…"
The ground seemed to shift beneath her feet.
---
A sudden gust of wind rushed through the room. Candles flickered, some dying out. Then… a voice.
"You've seen it," the woman said calmly.
Selene turned toward the voice—and froze.
A figure stood in front of an old mirror in the corner. Wrapped in pale blue light, her face looked eerily familiar.
Because it was her.
Or... a version of her.
Older. Wiser. Glowing silver eyes like the moon. Calm, powerful, divine.
"Who are you?" Selene whispered. "A ghost? A goddess?"
"I am you," the woman said gently. "The you that could be… or might have been."
"What is this? What am I?"
"You are both the curse and the cure, Selene," the reflection said. "And it's time you see the truth."
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🌑 A FLASH OF VISION
The mirror vanished.
Suddenly, Selene stood inside an ancient stone temple. Towering columns surrounded her, carved with two infants—one smiling, one crying.
At the altar, a woman gave birth to twin girls, bloodied and screaming. Her face was pale, tears in her eyes.
The twins were her and Lilith.
"Only one was touched by the goddess," the echoing voice said.
"The other… was marked by the gods' wrath."
"Lilith was cast out. But the curse did not spare you."
"You are not the savior, Selene. You are part of the curse. The only one who can end it… is you."
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🌘 BACK TO REALITY
Selene collapsed back into the library floor.
Shaking.
Breathless.
Lost.
"No... I can't be part of it too…"
She hugged the locket to her chest, her pulse wild and cold. Her whole life had been a lie.
Suddenly, warm hands gripped her shoulders.
"Selene!"
Kael.
His eyes were wild, filled with panic.
"What happened? I felt something shift—like something inside the Pack…"
She couldn't speak. Not yet.
He knelt beside her, confused but patient, waiting. She finally looked up, tears spilling from her eyes.
"Kael... I haven't told you everything. Lilith… she's not just a threat. She's my twin."
The silence that followed seemed to stretch forever.
But Kael didn't pull away.
He didn't flinch.
He sat down beside her and wrapped her in his arms.
"Then I'll stand by you, even if the whole world says you're cursed," he whispered.
"Because to me, you're the only light I've ever trusted."